Walker stands tall for Boomers

By
ROB SHAW

LUCAS Walker did enough with his first taste of international basketball to suggest it will not be his last.

LUCAS Walker did enough with his first taste of international basketball to suggest it will not be his last.

The Launceston-born forward played a pivotal role in a four-match series against China, which finished level after both nations won their two home fixtures.

Walker, 29, was among his team's top scorers with 15 points in the 95-80 loss in Jiangsu Province, before another significant contribution to Sunday's series-ending 95-90 loss in Liyang Tianmuhu Arena.

Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis was without many of his regular first-choice players for the series but would have been impressed with the debut efforts of the 202-centimetre, 102-kilogram Tasmanian who plays for Melbourne Tigers in the NBL.

Basketball Australia's report of the final match concluded that Walker ``showed [he] could do a job if needed by Lemanis''.

An LSBL product who made his name on the US college circuit, Walker had been crucial to Australia winning both home fixtures in Perth.

Hobart's Hugh Greenwood, 22, whose career has also taken off since moving to the US, was another key contributor to the series, hitting the three-pointer which tied the scores at 53-53 with seven minutes left of the final match.

Lucas Walker goes to the basket for the Boomers in their final match against China on Sunday night. Picture: TOMASZ GREGORCZYK